Foldable boat

ABSTRACT

A foldable boat is provided having stern and bow sections which can be unfolded and extended from a folded, collapsed and closely nested relationship to a rigid, unitary assemblage ready for use, said stern and bow sections being locked in the extended position by stiffening means which are hingeably associated with the assemblage. The foldable boat of the invention is of a size so that it can be readily transported from place to place on the roof of a car, rack of a station wagon or on the deck of a station wagon and is provided with means to be propelled by outboard motor, sail or oars.

United States Patent Scholle 1 1 Apr. 3, 1973 [54] FOLDABLE BOAT [76]inventor: Roger A. Scholle, 8 White Birch Lane, Scarsdale, NY. 10585[22] Filed: May 7, 1971 [21] 'Appl. No.: 141,213

52] U.S. Cl ..9/2 F 51 Int. Cl. ..B63b 7/00 [58] Field of Search ..9/2F; 220/6, 7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 67,342 7/1867 Olmstead ..9/2F x 2,157,186 5/1939 Pinter, Sf. et al 1.9/2 F x FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 176,965 3/1922 Great Britain ..9/2 F Primary ExaminerEvonC. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Hadd S. Lane Attorney-Howard E. Thompson,Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A foldable boat is provided having stern and bow sectionswhich can be unfolded and extended from a folded, collapsed and closelynested relationship to a rigid, unitary assemblage ready for use, saidstern and bow sections being locked in the extended position bystiffening means which are hingeably associated with the assemblage. Thefoldable boat of the invention is of a size so that it can be readilytransported from place to place on the roof of a car, rack of a stationwagon or on the deck of a station wagon and is provided with means to bepropelled by outboard motor, sail or oars.

12 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPRS I975 3,724,011

SHEET 1 BF 2 lNVE/VTOR ROGER A. SCHOLLE Mz M/x A rfomvir Pmimmms ms3.724011 SHEET 2 0P2 M/VENTOR. ROGER A. SCHOLLE @AMCW Y Q ATTORNEYFOLDABLE BOAT This invention relates to a foldable boat having stern andbow sections which can be unfolded from a collapsed, closely nestedposition to an extended, rigid, unitary assemblage and locked in theextended position by stiffening means hingeably associated with theassemblage, the boat being adapted for propelsion by means of oars, sailor outboard motor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The increase in leisure time has led manypersons to pursue water sports and water activities with the result thatparticipation in boating activities has grown at an extremely rapid rateover the past decade. Almost all boats presently utilized to pursueboating activities are of a unitary, rigid construction requiring thatthey be moored or stored at one location or, where desired to betransported from place to place, require the use of cumbersome andcostly boat trailers. Those boats which can be transported on roofs ofcars or racks of station wagons are of a size so that they can generallybe used by only one or two persons at a time.

Some small boats are designed so that portions of their superstructurescan either be removed or folded out of the way for compactness duringtransport. Such boats, however, are either too heavy or too long to betransported on vehicles and, therefore, must be trailered to theirdestination, or require extensive reassembly on reaching the point wherethey are to be used.

Many attempts have been made to provide boats which have foldablecomponents. Exemplary of such assemblages are those disclosed in US. PatNos. 1,899,900 to Nelson, 3,057,316 to Hansen, 3,090,973 to Levinson,and 3,097,371 to Rough. While these il- Iustrative prior art patentsdisclose means for folding a boat, it is important to note thecomplexity of the means employed and that assembly and disassemblyrequires the use of additional tools.

More recently, other embodiments for similar type boats have beenprovided such as are disclosed and described in my prior US. Pat. Nos.3,349,415 and 3,497,885. These boats, however, are relatively small,being designed for convenient use and storage by owners and operators oflarge sailing vessels or yachts since they lend themselves to readyassembly when required for use but can be reduced to a size suitable forstorage and transport aboard larger sized vessels.

The size and structure of these boats is satisfactory for transportingone or two persons to a moored vessel but they are not of a size orstructure for general use as a pleasure craft, such as for rowing,fishing, sailing and the like.

THE INVENTION so that it can be adapted to be propelled with oars, byoutboard motor, or sail.

In general, the foldable boat of the invention comprises a bow and stemsection each having lateral or side decks and each of which terminate insubstantially perpendicular, adjacent bulkheads, the bow and stemsections being hingeably secured to each other at opposite ends of saidbulkheads in a common pivot axis transverse to said boat at the level ofthe decks thereof; and, stiffening means at opposed sides of the boatextending onto said bow and stem sections, said stiffening means beingmovable from inoperative positions substantially in the plane of saiddecks to operative positions substantially perpendicular to said decksso that they are capable of being folded with the bow and stem sectionswhen these sections are placed in a collapsed position. Preferably, thestiffening means have associated therewith means for locking them inplace when they are in their substantially perpendicular, operativepositions. The structure of the foldable boat is such that it can bereadily unfolded from a collapsed, closely nested relationship to anextended, assembled condition within a few minutes by one person. Inaddition to having means for propelsion by oar, outboard motor and/orsail, the foldable boat can also be provided with buoyant, flotableplastic to render it sinkproof, means for draining water washed aboardthe boat during use, and means for locking the bow and stem sections toeach other when they are in their collapsed positions.

The structure and various embodiments of the foldable boat of theinvention will be more fully understood when considered together withthe accompanying drawing wherein the several figures exemplify variouspreferred embodiments thereof which are set forth by way of illustrationand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the foldable boat of the invention shown in itsfully extended condition;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view taken substantially on line 22 of FIG.1;

FIGS. 3-8 are half sectional schematic views taken substantially on thelines 33, 4-4, 55, 66, 77, and 88, respectively, of FIG. 2 illustrating,primarily, the distribution of floatable material in the hull;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view showing the foldable boat in its foldedcondition;

FIG. 10 is an end view taken substantially in the direction of arrows 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one embodiment ofa foldable oar lock which can be used with the foldable boat of theinvention; and,

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary elevation view showing one manner by which thefoldable boat can be securely locked against tampering or theft.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the foldable boat of the invention, comprisesa blow section 20 and a stern section 21 which are hingeably secured toeach other at their adjacent ends by means of hinges 22, 23.

Bow and stem sections 20, 21 each comprise hulls 24, 25, respectively,extending upwardly from contoured bottoms 26, 27, to gunwales 28, 29(FIG. 2).

for assembly. In addition, it is also provided with means Gunwales 28,29 have inwardly protruding portions extending longitudinally of theboat to form lateral or side deck areas 30, 30' and 31, 31 whichterminate, respectively, in a bow deck section 32 and a stern deck orseat section 33 (FIG. 1). The adjacent ends of bow and stem sections 20,21 terminate in bulkheads 34, 35 (FIG. 2) which are substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the foldable boat and whichare in closely abutting relation when the boat is in the opened,extended position.

The hinges 22, 23 are secured to the decks 30, 31 and 30, 31 in a mannerto provide a common pivot axis transversely of the boat as clearly seenin FIG. and the decks extend slightly above the bulkheads 34, 35 toaccommodate the foldable associated stiffening means which support theboat in extended position.

The stiffening means comprises two pair of stiffening members 36, 37,36a, 37a of generally L-shaped or triangular contour with the members ofeach pair oriented in mirror image relation to provide, collectively,straight, coextensive edges which are joined to the decks 30, 31 and30', 31 by hinges 38, 39 and 38a, 39a, respectively, in a manner toalign the surfaces thereof substantially in the plane of the decks whenin collapsed position (note FIGS. 1 and 10). stiffening members 36, 37and stiffening members 36a, 37a are joined at their abutting side edgesby hinges 40 and 41, respectively, in a manner to align the pivot axesthereof with the common pivot axes of hinges 22, 23 as clearly seen inFIGS. 1 and 10. This alignment of the surfaces of the stiffening memberswith the decks and of the hinges 40, 41 with the hinges 22, 23 enablesthe stiffening means to fold freely with the stern and bow sections whenfolding and collapsing the boat, while providing sturdy trusses whenraised to the elevated position after unfolding of the boat sections.

While the side edges of the stiffening members which are joined togetherwill be substantially at right angles to the edges joined to the decks,it is important that this angular relationship be precisely adapted to aparticular boat assemblage to provide a maximum of compressive forcesbetween the abutting bulkheads 34, 35 of the extended boat, consistentwith the strength of the hinges 22, 23 being employed.

With a properly fitted stiffening means, it should require considerableforce about to pounds for a 16 foot boat) to raise the stiffening meansto their fully extended or substantially vertical position, and once inthat position, they should be supported against accidental displacement.This can suitably be accomplished by a spring-loaded knee or togglebrace 42 having a central pivot 43 and pivoted at one end 44 to thestiffening means and at the other end 45 to a bulkhead or adjoiningstructure, and adapted when collapsed to seat within a recess 46 formedtherein as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. The knee or toggle brace 42 not onlylocks the stiffening means in elevated position but can assist inraising it to the elevated position by applying force in the vicinity ofthe central pivot 43.

In order to provide a compact, closely nested relationship between bowand stem sections 20, 21 when the boat is in its folded condition asshown in FIG. 9, cut outs 47 and 48 are provided in bulkheads 34, (FIG.10) to receive stiffening members 36, 37 and 36a 370.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, bow deck section 32 can be provided with anaperture 49 for receiving a mast therethrough (not shown) which can besecured therein by seating its lower end on a stud 50 protrudingupwardly from the bottom 26, stud being in alignment with aperture 49. Acenter board trunk can be provided as at 51 for receiving a centerboardor dagger board and at the stem or transom 52, there can be provided asubstantially vertical raised portion 53 (FIGS. 2 and 12) to which arudder and tiller, shown in dotted lines at 54, 55 in FIG. 2, can besecured so that, together with a mast secured by aperture 49 and stud50, the foldable boat can be rigged as a light sail boat.

In lieu of outfitting the foldable boat as a light sailing vessel, asmall outboard motor (not shown) can be secured to raised portion 53 ofthe transom 52. In addition, raised portion 53 can be notched as seen at56 in FIG. 1 for positioning a single oar for sculling the boat ingondola-fashion.

In a preferred embodiment, stern deck section or seat 33 is suitablycontoured to provide three triangular sections 57, 58 and 59 disposeddownwardly from the horizontal at their bases so that their apexes meetat a drain 60 (FIGS. 2 and 11) extending through the transom 52, thedrain 60 being above the water level but below the gunwales 28, 29 sothat any water washed aboard the boat can be readily drained off.

Spaced from the bulkhead 34 is a forward bulkhead 34a and area 62 isenclosed with a cover 63 transverse of the boat (FIG. 2). Similarly, arear bulkhead 35a is provided in stem section 21 spaced from bulkhead 35with area 62a also enclosed by a cover 63a. Covers 63, 63a, beingsubstantially athwart the midships of the boat, provide convenientseating for carrying additional passengers or crew.

In a preferred embodiment, the foldable boat is provided with a suitableflotation material, such as polystyrofoam or other plastic which can beformed in situ and which is buoyant. The flotation material can bemolded in place at selected areas within the boat adjacent the bottoms26, 27 and hulls 24, 25 thereof as indicated at 61 in FIGS. 2-8. Whenmolding the flotation material 61, it should be permitted to cure untila firm skin is formed thereon so that it can support the weight ofpassengers or crew. Alternatively, the selected areas in which theflotation material 61 is to be provided can be of double hullconstruction as indicated at 24a and 25a so that selection of theflotation material to be used need not be limited to one which mustalone support the weight of passengers and crew. When includingflotation material 61, it is further preferred that while area 62a canbe filled with the flotation material 61, area 62 should be left vacant.Cover 63 can then be hinged to the inner edge of the deck beneathstiffening members 36, 36 a as at 64 (FIG. 7) so that area 62 can beutilized as a locker.

In addition to being propelled by either sail or motor, the foldableboat of the invention can also be adapted to be propelled by oars and,for this purpose, it can be equipped with a plurality of oar locks as at66, 67, 68 and 69. Preferably, these oar locks are each hingeablysecured to an adjacent deck as shown in detail in FIG. 11 where oar lock66 is shown hingeably secured at 70 to the inner edge of deck 30.

Due to the structural contour of stem deck 33 in combination withtransom 52 and its raised portion 53, the bow deck section 32 of thefoldable boat can be nested thereon when folded as shown in FIG. 9 sothat any contents therein are protected from the elements.

However, it is also desirable to protect the interior of the foldableboat as well as its contents when it is in its folded, collapsedcondition from tampering or theft. This can be readily accomplished bysecuring a ring 71 to a link 72 attached to the bow as shown in FIG. 12and providing an aperture 73 in transom 52 through which ring 71 can beslipped so that part of the ring 71 protrudes through aperture 73 andcan be secured thereat by means of a suitable lock 74.

A foldable boat of the type herein described has been constructed andtested with oars, sail and outboard motor under a wide range of weatherconditions. In this testing, the boat was found to be completely seaworthy in all instances due to the action of the stiffening membersforcing the adjacent bulkheads into firm abutting relationship. Evenwhen sailing in a stiff breeze, probably the most strenuous type of testconditions, the stiffening means provided a rigid structure that reactedand performed in the same manner as a similar sized boat of integralunitary structure.

When the boat is stored, either afloat or on land, in the foldedposition with bow section up (FIG. 9), it will be noted that theinterfitting relation of the bow with the inclined rear seat or decksections 57, 58, 59 permits rain water to drain onto said seat or deckand out through the drain 60. Thus, items stored within the folded boatare quite well protected from the elements. Still more protection isprovided when in dead storage by having the bow section 20 restinghorizontally on suitable support with the stern section 21 folded overand onto the bow section 20.

Although the foldable boat of the invention has been described withparticularity and in some detail, it will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art and those practicing the invention that variouschanges, modifications and variations can be made therein withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed:

1. A foldable boat comprising a bow section and a stern section eachhaving side decks and each of which terminate in substantiallyperpendicular, adjacent bulkheads, said bow and stem sections beinghingedly secured to each other at opposite ends of said bulkheads in acommon pivot axis transverse to said boat at the level of the decksthereof; and, stiffening means at opposed sides of said boat extendingonto said bow and stem sections and hingedly secured thereto, saidstiffening means being movable from inoperative positions substantiallyin the plane of said decks to operative positions substantiallyperpendicular to said decks, each of said stiffening means having acentral pivot means extending transversely thereof in alignment withsaid common pivot axis when said stiffening means are in saidinoperative positions such that said stiffening means are capable ofbeing folded with said bow and stern sections when said bow and stemsections are placed in a collapsed position.

2. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said stiffening meanscomprises two pair of stiffening members positioned to form coextensiveedges and abutting side edges, the coextensive edges of each pair ofstiffening members being hingeably secured to said deck levels and theabutting side edges of said stiffening members being hingeably securedto each other, the axes of the hinges securing said abutting side edgesbeing in alignment with said common pivot axis, such that when saidstiffening members are in their inoperative position in alignment withsaid decks, they can be folded with said bow and stem sections, and whenthey are in their substantially perpendicular, operative positions theyact as an effective truss in forcing said adjacent bulkheads intoabutting relationship against each other to maintain the extended bowand stem sections in a rigid, unitary relationship; and, means forlocking said stiffening members in place when they are in theirsubstantially perpendicular operative positions.

3.'A foldable boat as defined in claim 2 wherein said locking meanscomprise a plurality of knee braces at opposed sides of said boat, oneend of each knee brace being pivotally secured to one of said stiffeningmembers and the other end thereof being secured to one of saidbulkheads, and the pivoted midpoints of said knee braces being springloaded, said knee braces providing a toggle action to assist in raisingsaid stiffening members to their operative positions.

4. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper edges of saidadjacent bulkheads are provided with cutouts such that when said bow andstem sections are in a collapsed, folded condition, said stiffeningmembers are accommodated in said recesses.

5. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein the end of said sternsection remote from the bulkhead thereof is provided with a transomextending above said side decks; and, a stern deck area comprising aplurality of triangularly shaped stern deck sections inclined downwardlytoward their apexes and which terminate at a drain, said drain extendingthrough said transom above the water line but substantially below thegunwales of said boat such that water washed onto said stern deck areacan be easily drained off.

6. A foldable boat as defined in claim 5 wherein the contour of saidstern deck area is capable of accommodating the bow of said foldableboat in a nested position therein when said stern and bow sections arein a collapsed position; and, said transom has an aperture thereinthrough which a ring secured by a link to said bow can be inserted suchthat said bow and stem sections can be locked together when saidfoldable boat is in its collapsed position.

7. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said bow section has abow deck area remote from the bulkhead of said bow section, said bowdeck area having means associated therewith for supporting a mast whensaid foldable boat is to be used as a sail boat.

8. A foldable boat as defined in claim 7 wherein said associated meanscomprises an aperture in said bow deck area in alignment with a studprotruding upwardly from the bottom of said bow section such that saidstud and said aperture are capable of supporting a mast inserted throughsaid aperture and positioned on said stud.

9. A foldable boat as defined in claim 8 wherein said stern section isprovided with means for affixing thereto a rudder and tiller.

10. A foldable boat as defined in claim 9 wherein a center board trunkis provided to accommodate a center board therein.

11. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said bow and stemsections are provided with a plurality of oar locks hinged to said sidedecks such that said oar locks can be raised from a collapsed,inoperative position to a vertical, operative position.

12. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein a bouyant, flotablematerial is provided within and throughout a substantial portion of saidboat adjacent 5 the gunwales and bottoms of the bow and stem sectionsthereof.

1. A foldable boat comprising a bow section and a stern section eachhaving side decks and each of which terminate in substantiallyperpendicular, adjacent bulkheads, said bow and stern sections beinghingedly secured to each other at opposite ends of said bulkheads in acommon pivot axis transverse to said boat at the level of the decksthereof; and, stiffening means at opposed sides of said boat extendingonto said bow and stern sections and hingedly secured thereto, saidstiffening means being movable from inoperative positions substantiallyin the plane of said decks to operative positions substantiallyperpendicular to said decks, each of said stiffening means having acentral pivot means extending transversely thereof in alignment withsaid common pivot axis when said stiffening means are in saidinoperative positions such that said stiffening means are capable ofbeing folded with said bow and stern sections when said bow and sternsections are placed in a collapsed position.
 2. A foldable boat asdefined in claim 1 wherein said stiffening means comprises two pair ofstiffening members positioned to form coextensive edges and abuttingside edges, the coextensive edges of each pair of stiffening membersbeing hingeably secured to said deck levels and the abutting side edgesof said stiffening members being hingeably secured to each other, theaxes of the hinges securing said abutting side edges being in alignmentwith said common pivot axis, such that when said stiffening members arein their inoperative position in alignment with said decks, they can befolded with said bow and stern sections, and when they are in theirsubstantially perpendicular, operative positions they act as aneffective truss in forcing said adjacent bulkheads into abuttingrelationship against each other to maintain the extended bow and sternsections in a rigid, unitary relationship; and, means for locking saidstiffening members in place when they are in their substantiallyperpendicular operative positions.
 3. A foldable boat as defined inclaim 2 wherein said locking means comprise a plurality of knee bracesat opposed sides of said boat, one end of each knee brace beingpivotally secured to one of said stiffening members and the other endthereof being secured to one of said bulkheads, and the pivotedmidpoints of said knee braces being spring loaded, said knee bracesproviding a toggle action to assist in raising said stiffening membersto their operative positions.
 4. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1wherein the upper edges of said adjacent bulkheads are provided withcutouts such that when said bow and stern sections are in a collapsed,folded condition, said stiffening members are accommodated in saidrecesses.
 5. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein the end ofsaid stern section remote from the bulkhead thereof is provided with atransom extending above said side decks; and, a stern deck areacomprising a plurality of triangularly shaped stern deck sectionsinclined downwardly toward their apexes and which terminate at a drain,said drain extending through said transom above the water line butsubstantially below the gunwales of said boat such that water washedonto said stern deck area can be easily drained off.
 6. A foldable boatas defined in claim 5 wherein the contour of said stern deck area iscapable of accommodating the bow of said foldable boat in a nestedpositIon therein when said stern and bow sections are in a collapsedposition; and, said transom has an aperture therein through which a ringsecured by a link to said bow can be inserted such that said bow andstern sections can be locked together when said foldable boat is in itscollapsed position.
 7. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid bow section has a bow deck area remote from the bulkhead of saidbow section, said bow deck area having means associated therewith forsupporting a mast when said foldable boat is to be used as a sail boat.8. A foldable boat as defined in claim 7 wherein said associated meanscomprises an aperture in said bow deck area in alignment with a studprotruding upwardly from the bottom of said bow section such that saidstud and said aperture are capable of supporting a mast inserted throughsaid aperture and positioned on said stud.
 9. A foldable boat as definedin claim 8 wherein said stern section is provided with means foraffixing thereto a rudder and tiller.
 10. A foldable boat as defined inclaim 9 wherein a center board trunk is provided to accommodate a centerboard therein.
 11. A foldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein saidbow and stern sections are provided with a plurality of oar locks hingedto said side decks such that said oar locks can be raised from acollapsed, inoperative position to a vertical, operative position.
 12. Afoldable boat as defined in claim 1 wherein a bouyant, flotable materialis provided within and throughout a substantial portion of said boatadjacent the gunwales and bottoms of the bow and stern sections thereof.